


In Case She Comes Back

by ThatSameSong



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Chloe and Rachel Had Sex, Crushes, Drabble, F/F, Female Friendship, First Love, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Chloe Price, Memories, Not Actually Unrequited Love, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, Pre-Canon, Realization, Reminiscing, Sad Chloe Price, Short One Shot, Slice of Life, Smoking, Swearing, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Underage Smoking, based on a theory, very gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 03:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatSameSong/pseuds/ThatSameSong
Summary: Chloe Price ponders her feelings about Max, her relationship with Rachel Amber, and why she just can't bring herself to leave Arcadia Bay.





	In Case She Comes Back

**Author's Note:**

> I started to wonder why Chloe hadn't left Arcadia Bay by the time Max came back, despite making her intentions very obvious in Before the Storm and making plans with Rachel. I know the prequel isn't one hundred percent canon compliant, but this weird discrepancy got me thinking. In my mind, there was only one explanation that made sense.

Chloe took a long drag from her cigarette, letting the smoke spiral up towards her bedroom ceiling.

She hated the taste of cigarettes. But she liked the smoke. Loved watching it curl upwards and evaporate. There was something so beautiful about the sight. Almost made her want to cry. Almost.

She laughed. If Max had been there, they could have watched the smoke together. Could have talked about how much Arcadia Bay sucked. How they were going to take over the town together. All that kid stuff Chloe missed every single day. Missed playing pirates. Missed thinking everything was going to work out.

Sometimes Chloe wondered why she hadn't just left. There was nothing for her in Arcadia Bay. Well, except Rachel. But Rachel wanted to leave as much as Chloe did. Brought it up whenever they talked. But Chloe always tossed out some dumb excuse. Money, school, anything she could think of. The excuses were getting flimsier and Rachel was getting impatient, but Chloe couldn't stop herself. It was like she was tied to Arcadia Bay. Like the town wasn't done with her and she knew it.

No, it wasn't Arcadia Bay. It was Max. Always Max. _Goddammit._ Chloe was still pissed off. Couldn't let go of what Max's friendship had meant to her. But of course she couldn't. Max had fucking _left her._ Left Chloe in this shithole of a town with no dad and a mom who was way past caring.

But a part of Chloe was waiting. Waiting for Max to come back. That was why she kept making up excuses, why she wasn't really trying to leave. And she could never tell Rachel. Because Rachel wouldn't have understood. And Chloe was afraid that if she opened up like that, Rachel would realize what a disgusting sap Chloe really was.

Her feelings towards Max were...complicated? Yeah, that was definitely the word. “Complicated”. They'd been friends for so long. Back way before Chloe even realized it was possible for girls to like other girls in that way. There were so many things Chloe had never gotten to say and so many things she'd felt. Weird feelings that didn't go away. On the rare occasions Chloe had actually crushed on a guy, it had been brief and ultimately nothing. But the way she felt about Max? That was something intense and new, something dangerous and unexplored. That was how Chloe knew she had _something_ with Rachel. It was terrifying, but it was there from the very start.

Chloe wasn't even sure where she was with Rachel. For now they were doing the casual thing and that seemed to be working, but Chloe was starting to wonder. Rachel was getting a little secretive and Chloe wasn't sure how to handle that. It reminded her of how Max put off telling her about the move. How Joyce and David were so reluctant to admit their relationship, even though Chloe had heard and seen enough to guess long before they made it official. Everyone was always trying to deceive her, keeping stuff from Chloe because they were convinced it would hurt her. But what hurt Chloe more was knowing that everyone around her thought she couldn't handle things. And maybe she couldn't, but Chloe at least wanted to be told so she could deal with it.

A part of her wanted to tell Rachel the whole truth. Chloe had gotten pretty close a few times. After the first time they actually fucked, Chloe almost blurted it all out. She was delirious, drunk off Rachel's scent and the feeling of Rachel's skin under her fingers. God, she was so beautiful. Just lying there like that, all tangled in Chloe's covers, her body glistening with sweat. Giving out these little gasps of breath as the tremors of her orgasm finally died. The whole thing had been so awkward and beautiful. So much fumbling and laughing. Chloe felt like she could say anything.

But she stopped herself. Chloe looked into Rachel's eyes and realized she could never say any of that stuff. Because the Rachel lying there—naked, panting and laughing—was a Rachel Chloe had never seen before. As vibrant as the one she thought she knew, but somehow scarier. To Rachel, this was just sex. Because Rachel didn't want any of that. She wanted this fun, carefree girl who could give her a nice fuck if she wanted, could take her away from Arcadia Bay, could give her all the adventures her life had been lacking. Rachel didn't want strings.

And Chloe thought she didn't want strings either, despite how she truly felt about Rachel. But staring at Rachel later that night—half-naked and sleeping in one of Chloe's shirts—Chloe felt like she wanted everything she might have had with Max.

Chloe snuffed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

Maybe some day, but probably not. If her and Rachel ever got away from Arcadia Bay, there was a chance something could happen. That seemed like reason enough for Chloe to get away. So why wasn't she trying? Why was she still anchored to this pathetic town?

_Max._ It was sad and it made Chloe feel like utter shit, but she wanted to be there. Wanted to be there to welcome Max back. Wanted to grab onto Max and never let her go. And it seemed cruel, the way it arranged itself in Chloe's head. Waiting for someone who clearly didn't give a shit about her anymore and chasing after the Rachel Amber she wanted.

But if Max _did_ come back, what was Chloe going to say to her? Chloe wanted to stay angry. She wanted to just be pissed off at Max forever because it felt nice. She wanted to hate Max for abandoning her. Some days she did, other days she didn't. But ultimately, any resentment Chloe had was only temporary. And once it wore off, all Chloe could do was think about this massive unresolved thing between them. Chloe needed to know if there'd even been a chance.

Because Max didn't know any of the thoughts Chloe had about her. Thoughts that made Chloe feel gross. Not because of the thoughts themselves. But because of the fact that Chloe knew she wasn't allowed to feel this way. Not about the girl who'd left her when she needed a friend.

_Ugh, Max,_ Chloe thought. _Hundreds of miles away and you're still in my head. Fuck off._

They were both in her head. Rachel Amber and Max Caulfield. Competing for space. And so far, Max was winning.


End file.
